We’ve all heard the expression – the customer is always right. And we certainly apply that logic. When we’re thinking of buying a product or making use of a service, we always think about what other people have said beforehand, hence why online reviews become a reference point. In the case of online pharmacies, those online reviews could be key to bringing in your bread and butter. Or potentially drive people away to your competitors. For example, a company like Online Pharmacy UK can emphasise the value of prioritising an online service, where patients no longer need to play the waiting game when it comes to medication, faith that is bolstered by online reviews.
We run through some of the pros and cons of being dependent on online reviews for an online pharmacy.
Pros:
- Online reviews don’t often come with a huge price attached, especially if they’re being featured on a professional network.
- Your customers are going to be your greatest asset. And the sight of such glowing praise will inspire trust in your future clientele.
- The more times the name of a business is mentioned, the higher your business will rank in the search results. So providing the customer is using your business’s name, you can expect an increasingly high ranking.
Cons:
- Even just one negative review in a slew of many positive reviews is enough to sow the seeds of doubt. You need to provide a good service with every single customer. But you only need to miss the mark once.
- Even a lack of negative reviews is a bad sign. Customers are more likely to trust companies if they see both positive and negative reviews. So, think twice before you leave the negative reviews unpublished.
Ultimately, online reviews should be permitted, but there should be a certain level of regulation so that they don’t get out of control. One of the greatest obstacles, albeit one that isn’t frequently touched upon is fake reviews. Suppose a customer is dissatisfied with their service or product, they may decide to take to the internet and overdo it with the negativity, suggesting an online pharmacy gave a far more negative service than what actually happened. Luckily, there are a few key ways you can sniff out a fake review:
- Repeated use of phrases. If a review feels the need to use the same phrase to describe different parts of the service, that’s a good sign of deception.
- Look at the reviewer’s other reviews. Fake reviews will maintain a certain repetition.
- When it comes to side effects, some people may over exaggerate the reaction to the side effects. You can easily cover this by looking at the adverse reactions one can have to the medication compared to what the review is saying.
- Some reviews may have no text whatsoever, just the rating, which can still bring the average rating down and get people pondering that the issue was so severe, especially if it is a 1-star rating.
Online reviews are both a blessing and a curse. If you are going to use them constructively, make sure they are not on third-party sites that will charge you and be on the lookout for malicious libel.
